MTA NYC: Install platform doors at dangerous NYC Subway Stations

On Friday, March 24, 2012, Joshua Basin was pushed and pulled into the tracks of the Bedford Avenue L train station. He was pinned and killed by an incoming train.

In Decemeber, two seperate incidents of men were pushed onto the tracks, igniting incredible disgust as a photographer filmed the first man as he lay there, trying to escape from a train. A gruesome scenerio that affects the mental health of our city.

Platform screen doors would have prevented this death amongst many more deaths that happen every year in the NYC MTA stations.

It's time to install platform doors in some of New York City's most dangerous subway stations. It's time for NYC to get up to speed with other global cities.

Platform screen doors are used in France, India, Japan, many European nations and Chicago.

In addition to keeping the subway safer, they speed up commute time and keep the subway cleaner. But as I mentioned earlier, the fear of death that enters people's minds as they walk past dangerous areas such as the 14th street union square passageway from the N, R, Q train to the L train can add to overall mental health issues, something that is not quantifyable in terms of later cost and condition of the city's residents and visitors.

We need to retrofit existing dangerous train stations with these screen doors, not all of them.

In the end this expense will save money in terms of faster-moving trains, less debris, less accidents, in addition to saving lives and increasing the mental health of New York. If costs can be kept down via creative ideas such as offsetting the cost with advertising, this would be an excellent addition to the Subway.

**UPDATE 2:**

Great article looking at the issue from the Associated Press:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=168689631

**UPDATE:**

Interesting thread on this subject including MTA support for platform doors:

I just signed the following petition addressed to: MTA New York City Transit.

----------------Install platform screen doors.

Save lives, especially after death this weekend of Joshua Basin, who fell into the tracks after an altercation with a stranger that lead to his death. Platform screen doors are used in France, India, Japan, most of Europe and Chicago. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platform_screen_doors#France----------------